Current events, Canterlot…

In a clatter of hooves and clanging armor a pair of guards burst through the old oaken doors, pulling a third of their rank along with them, the fallen pony staining the polished floor with her essence.

Turning quickly at the sound of fast approaching hooves, the leader of the little group fired off a burst of magic down the hall, eliciting shouts of pain and unfamiliar cursing, all the while the ever present symphony of buzzing wings drew closer.

“Eat it you buckers!” The cream and peach mare shouted at their attackers, ducking as a sickly green bolt returned her taunt, boiling away a chunk of the wall near her head. Horn glowing with what little energy she could still muster another magical charge hurtled towards the first target to jump from cover. A dozen voices hissed as the bolt collided with the drone, rage evident as the little Changeling exploded across the wall behind him, merely to be replaced a second later with two more.

“Sergeant, come on!” Called the stallion as he rejoined the fight, their partner placed far back from the door. “We can’t hold em! Get inside!” He produced a thick blue shield, deflecting another blast that would have taken his sergeant’s head clean off her shoulders.

Gripping at the profusely bleeding laceration up the side of her foreleg she growled, blasting another bug through the head with precision worthy of her nickname. Nodding at her subordinate she flashed a wicked smile. “Charge me up Cutter!” She howled back, taking a stance known well throughout the Battle Mages.

Without a second of hesitation the stallion at her side poured every ounce of power he had into his commanding officer, supercharging her magic to levels no Unicorn could generate alone, her horn glowing until it blinded anyone dumb enough to look.

In a roar of crackling energy so hot it melted the marble walls a torrent of destruction magic tore down the hall, obliterating any living thing in its path, even the Enforcer further back, she hoped.

Not even sticking around to verify the spell’s effectiveness the two ponies retreated into the room, slamming shut the thick wood doors and slamming the thick iron bolts together to lock them in place.

“Alright, Wad, cover the balcony, I’ll sweep and clear,” the mare wheezed, unclipping her smoldering helmet and tossing it to the floor before heading to the conjoining bedroom. She paused as her partner stooped over the fallen pony between them, the broken blade of a changeling short sword protruding from the Mage’s chest. “Leave her, Wad,” she said, pushing herself forward. “She’s gone.”

Swallowing thickly, Wad Cutter nodded before bending down to close his fellow soldiers’ eyes, the orbs bulged in pain, but no fear was held within. “Thanks for the save, Jewel,” he whispered into her ear before moving towards the back of the room, his eyes sweeping across the shelves of books and piles of parchment covering the tables. “Oh, sweet mercy,” he thought to himself as he came to a set of heavy curtains, a dull flash of light coming from outside as something else exploded in the distance. “This is Celestia’s room.”

Never having seen the place before, Wad Cutter couldn’t help but take an extra second to scan the room, eyes eventually coming back to rest upon the large carved table closest to where he stood, or, more specifically, the pile of jewelry sitting atop said table. It seemed familiar somehow, though at first the memory eluded him, perhaps it was of her personal collection? Something he had seen her wear?

“Bucking Faust!” He nearly shouted, sucking in air through his teeth as he finally managed to make the connection. “Uhh, sarge, you might wanna have a look at this,” he whisper shouted back towards the other room, waving a hoof in the direction of the discovery as the mare in question approached.

“Well, this may complicate things,” at those words a tremendous bang shook the ponies from their disbelief, drawing the attention of both to the doors as they were struck again from the outside with considerable force. “Damn, guess that answers that question then, nothing but Enforcers hit that hard,” she said, backing away from the doors as a third impact shook dust from their frames.

Gritting his teeth Wad glanced back at the Elements of Harmony. “How long do you think the enchantments on those doors will hold?” He asked with a cringe, the sound of splintering wood reaching his ears.

“Not long enough,” retrieving a roll of gauze from her fallen comrades’ satchel, the sergeant made a quick patch over her bloodied limb, doing what she could to slow the already considerable blood loss. “Just because those doors have taken on the strength of the walls around them don’t mean that an Enforcer won’t still waltz right through there and charbroil your ass. So get ready.”

With a halfhearted nod Wad backed away to grant himself some distance, worry creasing his face as deep cracks formed in the doors after another blow. “Alright, so what’s the plan boss?” He asked hesitantly, breathing heavily as the magical exertions of the battle took their toll on his body.

Smirking to hide the look of pain, the sergeant snorted at the final pony under her command, the faintest smile playing at the edges of her mouth. “Depends,” she said, gingerly gripping her helmet and lifting the still warm headgear from the floor. “Think you still got enough juice left for a good teleport? Say, to the vault?”

“I. Yeah, I think so,” Wad replied, voice betraying his faltering confidence. His face only grew further confused as she pulled the bloodied satchel from Jewel Shard’s corpse, tossing it to him and pointing at the Elements.

“Then gather those up, them Changelings are daft if they think I’ll just leave Equestria’s most powerful weapon up for grabs,” she growled, shuffling over and helping him place the artifacts in his bag, her face darkening into a determined glare even as the skin beneath her coat began to pale.

Noticing the flash of finality and determination in her expression Wad Cutter couldn’t help but sigh, realizing the daring mare’s scheme. “You’re not coming, are you,” he muttered, flinching as the tower shook, the sounds of magical detonations rolling through the air like thunder. Wad’s mood only fell further as she looked away from him, her face illuminated briefly in the purple light leaking in from outside.

“Sorry kid, but from what I’m sensing from you, you’ve barely got enough power to get yourself to ground level, let alone the two of us,” she looked back and gave him a weak smile, something most guards had never seen from the mare. “And I’m shot to shit,” she motioned to the half dozen other gashes along the side of her barrel, many of which had gone right through the armor. “Got enough for a few good hits, maybe a pile driver if I’m lucky. You take the Elements and go, figure if I can, I’ll at least keep the damn thing busy. Even if only for a minute, that’s still a minute it ain’t downstairs slaughtering civilians.”

“Respectfully, ma’m,” Cutter remarked dryly, edging closer as the curtains blew off their hangers from a burst of overpressure outside, fluttering into the room in a flurry of scattering parchment. “That’s chicken shit, there has to be another way.”

“Yeah, well maybe it is chicken shit Wad,” she said, turning back to him, her horn glowing weakly. “But unless you think we have time to grab the bed sheets and make a rope to shimmy down the tower, this is the best we got. Now, hold still.”

“What are?” Wad Cutter tried to say, his voice dying as she leaned in and a small trickle of power flowed from her horn into his. “Sarge! You can’t!” He quickly protested, not having the heart to physically push her back. A glare from her pained eyes stated otherwise.

“Can it mister! You’re gonna sit right there and take this energy, that’s an order,” she said, nearly falling over as the trail of magic fizzled out in a static filled pop. “Celestia be damned if I’m gonna have the Elements’ sole protection be defenseless when you get where you’re going,” another massive impact to the doors saw the enchantments shattered, shards of wood and flecks of crystallized energy were sent careening through the room, a piece of debris catching her across the face, dropping the mare to the floor in a quiet swear of pain and spraying blood.

On instinct Wad Cutter stooped to her side, only to flinch back as she struggled to stand on her own hooves, a murderous look in her eye. “You alr…” He cut himself off as she rounded on him.

“Why the buck are you still here!” She roared, drawing out the massive war hammer that served as her physical weapon from its pocket dimension. “Get to the vault, find whoever is in charge, and protect the Elements until the bearers come for them!”

Wad Cutter wanted to stay, would have stayed, he would have gone down fighting alongside his sergeant any day. But the look she gave him right then would have frozen the soul of an Alicorn. There would be no arguing the point, once she made up her mind, nothing could change it. “Give em Tartarus, Pearl,” With a swift nod and a crisp salute Wad Cutter vanished in a flash of white light as his horn split the space around him.

Blinking away the spots from her vision, taking note of the blackness forming around the edges, the remaining pony hazarded a gaze out the open balcony doors. She looked to the stars, the moon, a slight smile covering her muzzle, ignoring the sound of wood and stone cracking behind her. “I’m coming, mom. I’m coming home,” and with that, she turned just as a pair of massive gray green hooves smashed their way through what remained of the bedroom doors, shattering them to splinters.

Through the wreckage and clouds of dust strode a Changeling unlike any most in the armed service would ever encounter during their careers, and fewer still, would survive to describe. The beast stooped under the doorway, its imposing twenty five hoof high body silhouetted by the flames in the hall scrapping the apex of the frame as it moved, hundred pound plates of solid iron armor clinging to its skin, the hardened flesh still sizzling from the seemingly ignored blast.

The creature stalked into the room, motions steady and fluid with a precision typical for its race as the near pony-sized horn atop the head pulsed a deep fluorescent green hue. This powerful engine of fear and destruction, was a Changeling Enforcer, the highest metamorphosized class of warrior drone a hive could produce, capable of destroying entire pony deployments when properly motivated.

As the Enforcer’s eyes flashed across the room they settled on the lone mare standing before him, a low guttural growl rumbling in its chest as it took a few advancing steps, eating away the distance in moments. “Tell me, she pony. Where send Elements?” He demanded, voice faltering over the unfamiliar language.

Lowering into a combat stance the mare smirked up at the towering brute, she had no fear left, only the will to fight, to do her duty. “Sorry, bug. You just missed em,” she grinned at her opponent, the look of smoldering rage behind his otherwise stoic expression giving her a strange sense of satisfaction. “Don’t worry though, you’ve still got me,” and with that she charged, magically hurling her hammer at the beast’s face.

With surprising agility the towering Changeling ducked the attack, a massive foreleg rising up to lash out at the mare, managing to strike only air as she dropped to her belly and slid directly under her opponent’s much larger frame.

In a flash of goldenrod light she surged what power she could muster down the length of her horn, forming a small cylinder of hard light under the belly of the beast. “Pile driver!” She screamed with all her might, watching as the spell pistoned off the floor and rammed into the bug’s significantly softer gut.

Releasing a roar of pain and unmistakable rage the Enforcer was smashed upwards through the thick ceiling above before slamming back to the floor, the pony just able to avoid being crushed by the falling giant.

Unwilling to waste even a second of the provided opportunity the mare retrieved her hammer, the magical aura of her horn flickering dangerously as its strength waned, her legs quivering, threatening to fall from under her.

Mustering power from reserves unknown she swung the hammer again, meaning to bring it down on the Changeling’s head even as he rose from the dust and crumbled stone, fury flashing in his eyes.

Just as it was to make contact a surge of green magic collided with the weapon, sending it off course to smash into the wall. A heartbeat later found the mare engulfed in a similar cloud as it tossed her across the room. She smashed into a bookcase and rolled to the floor, everything going quiet and fuzzy as something snapped, her mind reeling at the sudden numbness that crawled up her legs.

Sensing the fight to be over the lumbering Changeling plodded closer, releasing another growl as drops of bright emerald dribbled out of its massive jaws, anticipation written clearly over its features. “Elements,” it hissed, placing a hoof on her chest and applying pressure. “You not have, I find regardless, I, find, Wad,” it sneered, fluid spattering the mare’s face as it slowly added pressure, the sound of bone snapping filled the room as the Enforcer used its sheer weight to crush the mare’s armor, driving it through her body.

With a snarl of victory the Enforcer twisted its gnarled face into a smile, the fiend taking much satisfaction in watching her eyes bulge in their sockets, undeniable agony glazing over them. And yet, there was still a glimmer of the fiery will, the will of a true warrior.

“Buckin…cockroach,” she managed, spitting a mouthful of blood in her murderer’s face. In that moment, nothing hurt, nothing seemed to dampen her spirit even as her face sagged into shock, not even as a bright goldenrod light illuminated her face, one last time.

The Enforcer squinted its eyes, surprised by the brilliance of the light assaulting his corneas as the secretly charging spell built around the mare’s horn, sizzling and popping with static. “Wha…”

In a flash of heat and pressure the room was consumed in magical fire, the blast strong enough to crack the walls and burn the room clean of the books and furniture within. Moments later, the ceiling collapsed into the chamber, burying all traces of the fight.

/ / / / / / / / / / /

Light. That is all there was at first, just a light. Next came the warmth, a pleasant, reassuring feeling that made everything feel, peaceful.

These were the things that the mare first became aware of. There was no pain, no doubts nor even a sense of worry. Everything was calm and gentle, not unlike a nap on a warm beach. A place where you could simply lay in the sun forever.

“Pearl Rustwing,”

Somewhere deep within her mind the mare knew that voice, had heard it before, perhaps a lifetime ago, or, had never. She couldn’t think of when, or where. But she knew all the same. It called out to her in this tranquil place, calm, kind, and firm. It swam through her senses with an ethereal grace, not unlike her princesses’ motherly tone.

“Rise, Pearl. For services made in the name of Harmony’s Light, in defense of Honor, and with the will of Loyalty, step forth into the light.”

As if through a fog the mare began to perceive, it was sluggish at first, mere faded flashes of someplace the likes of which she couldn’t quite describe, it felt, like a new day. Cautiously, Pearl climbed to her hooves, the sensation of being able to feel them again not lost upon her as she looked about the space around her, the literal space. It was not but a void, floating amongst the stars before a misty background of endless colors.

She had no words, standing before her were two massive Alicorns, many times larger than Celestia herself. One, was a vibrant cyan blue, his mane a billowing cloud of prismatic mist that outclassed any rainbow she had ever seen. The other, was a mare of soft lavender whose mane was of a similar shade and flowed gracefully away in long streams, tiny red stars flashing in the seemingly endless void. With a nod of the stallion’s head, images from all throughout her life began to flash by, each one seemingly taken from times of great importance, and all the while a band of light in the distance seemed to draw ever nearer.

With a casual, almost familiar manner, the pair approached the latest arrival, offering warm smiles as they moved. “Pearl Rustwing,” the mare called to her, though her lips never moved. “On behalf of Loyalty, and Magic, the two colors of Harmony’s Light that you so readily upheld in life, it gives us great pride, and pleasure, to welcome you to the Nexus. To welcome you, home.”

Author's Notes:

Well, I don’t know about you guys but I’m sick of less than one update a month, so, here you go. I really am trying to get faster, life just doesn’t allow much time for this thing. Anyone wondering why it’s been so long since Chronicles updated? Well if you are don’t worry, I’m just trying to advance this one a bit more first, want to make up for lost time. Anyway, comments? Complaints? Let us know.
~Dollars.

I have no words at this time...
-Jake